Pulwama: Three militants were killed after a gunfight raged in Gulab Bagh(Wani Bout) village of Tral in Pulwama district.
Reports said that a joint team of Army’s 42 RR unit and Jammu Kashmir Police launched a search operation in the village after they heard some gunshots.
Three militants got trapped while during the gunfight that raged between government forces and the militants resulted in the killing of three militants, sources said.
Sources added that after the killing of two militants, third militant tried to break the cordon, however, government forces cordoned him and shot him dead.
An official identified these slain militants as Zahid Ahmed Bhat from Nawdal Tral, Ishfaq Ahmed from Batgund Tral and Muhammad Ashraf Dar from Trich Pulwama. He said that the slain militants were part of Zakir Musa group. Two AK 47 rifles and a pistol were recovered from them.
All shops and business establishments got shut shortly after the news about the death of two militants spread in the town.
As usual cellular and mobile Internet services were snapped in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district shortly after the gunfight. However, the facility was not suspended on state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited.
Clashes erupted in Pulwama after news spread that one of the slain militants is from the town. Youth hit to roads and pelted stones on the government forces who in retaliation fired tear-smoke shells to disperse them.
Clashes also erupted in Khrew area of saffron town Pampore where locals resorted to intense stone-pelting amid pro-freedom slogans.
Reports said that Government Forces resorted to aerial firing to disperse protesters.
Reports added that youth took to streets and staged clashes after news of killing of three militants in an encounter with forces spread in the area. They said forces fired in air to disperse the protesters.
A civilian was killed in clashes between protesters and government forces near the site of gunfight.
Reports said that Muhammad Younis Sheikh, 16, was critically injured after clashes erupted between forces and protesters near the site of gunfight in Gulab Bagh village.
He was shifted to SMHS hospital in Srinagar where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
